The results are in, and student achievement on NAPLAN has plateaued in literacy and numeracy, with some areas of improvement.
As young Australians approach voting age they need simple, clear and practical instructions about the mechanics of how government works and how to vote.
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Results from the latest report into civics and citizenship education show by the time students hit year ten, the majority of them have little knowledge about Australian civics and democracy.
The uneven approach between VET and higher education in particular reflects an ongoing failure to conceive of the two as part of a single tertiary education system.
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New analysis of education expenditure shows spending on the vocational education and training sector has declined while other sectors have experienced growth.
Demand is growing for aged care workers in regional areas and so policymakers should be focused on this rather than manufacturing jobs.
Paul Miller/AAP
Growth in high-skilled jobs is highest in Australian cities and for the country its low-skilled jobs.
Some projects shouldn’t be receiving funding from the government. Yet, lack of proper monitoring has caused huge amounts of wasted money.
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A review of the Emissions Reduction Fund has found it’s performing well – but new research raises serious credibility issues.
An artist’s reconstruction of Kumimanu biceae, a giant ancient penguin, from fossils found in New Zealand.
Reconstruction by G Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute
Fossilised bones discovered in New Zealand reveal an extinct penguin which may have been the largest to ever live, around the same height as an average man.
Why do humans have fur only on their heads?
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Road safety campaigns targeting mobile phone use among drivers should emphasise how perceived social pressure is not an acceptable excuse for engaging in the behaviour.
Brothels in Pompeii were decorated with murals depicting erotic and exotic scenes: but the reality was far more brutal and mundane.
Thomas Shahan/Wikimedia Commons
Public spaces have become more, not less, important to our experience of cities in the digital era. These technologies can be used to confound and enlarge our experiences of and connections to place.
The ingredients of incense were detailed in the Old Testament.
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The four ingredients for holy incense are listed in the Old Testament, but there was much debate over the origin of one of them – onycha. Scientists think they’ve now confirmed the source.
Research findings are published in peer-reviewed academic journals, many of which charge universities subscription fees.
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Mark C. Wilson, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Universities in New Zealand spent close to US$15 million on subscriptions to just four publishers in 2016, data that was only released following a request to the Ombudsman.
Detail from Rachel Ruysch, Still life with flowers in a glass vase, 1716, oil on canvas, 48.5 x 39.5 cm, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
During her lifetime, the paintings of Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch sold for higher prices than those of Rembrandt. Why, then, have her talents not been more widely acknowledged in the centuries since?
One of the worst examples of identity politics came from Malcolm Turnbull on Monday’s Q&A program.
ABC News
Conservatives are often critical of ‘identity politics’ for silencing dissenting views. But on ABC’s Q&A on Monday night Malcolm Turnbull presented a very narrow vision of national identity.
The winner! Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand National Park, Esperance WA.
Peter Masters
Lucky Bay on WA’s south coast has been scientifically declared to have the whitest sand in Australia. But if you think your local beach can take the title, we want to hear from you.
We’re less able to burn fat and process carbs at night.
Shutterstock/Dean Drobot
That the Cashless Debit Card continues to be pursued exposes a dogged obsession with implementing punitive policy at the expense of vulnerable people.
The incidence of poverty among people over 65 is decreasing in part because of increased labour force participation.
Col Ford and Natasha de Vere/Flickr
Many parents are fearful about their children being online. Messaging services for children could help both kids and parents learn how to communicate safely and respectfully in the digital space.
A chain gang of convicts in Hobart.
State Library of NSW
Governor Arthur Phillip regarded sodomy as one of the worst offences that convicts under his charge could commit. But sex between men and between women flourished in convict Australia.
Studies have found scrolling through Instagram is linked with increased depression.
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